Stress Free at Home

Your home should be a refuge from the stresses of the outside world, not an addition to them. Focusing on creating a stress-free life will not only help you at work, but improve you overall.

Maintain an active an healthy lifestyle at home. At the end of the work day, it may seem easiest to go home and be a couch potato, and while it is important to get significant rest, be sure to exercise your body as well. Even if you aren't wanting to get a gym membership, you can take a walk or run through your neighborhood, to a nearby cafe for a healthy evening snack, or to a close nature trail. Surely a family member or dog would be willing to join.

Knock out all your unhealthy "stress-busters". This could include sugary sodas and junk food, but at the top of the list is cigarettes. Rather than actually cutting out your stress, they are cutting down your lifespan. Find something to take the place of cigarettes. I had a professor that described how he smoked a cigar every day on his way to work, and when he decided to quit, he would eat a conveniently cigar-shaped carrot instead. There's a way for everyone!

Cultivate a personal hobby that can serve as an outlet for you. You might be surprised at what is available around you. Surf opportunities online for what's around you- painting classes, yoga groups, quilting circles- you'll have fun and make friends, too.